Holographic images in multimedia information systems

Multimedia Information systems are based on evolving capability of computers to handle diverse types of information. Their most important characteristic is the integration of all such information types. Due to the improvements in computer architectures, computional methods, and electro-optical technology in recent years, a new type of information will be soon available, even outside research laboratories: electro-holography, that is the computer-based generation of diffraction fringes from 3D input data andthe displaying of the reconstructed object in real-time. This paper analyses which issues have to be solved in order to support the physical and logical coexistence and interactive use of holographic data in a multimedia information system. In particular the characteristics of holographic data and the current research results in the area of real-time holographic display systems are described. Besides, the requirements for integration of electro-holography into a multimedia system are analysed and the way this affects the functionalities of the system is described. The requirements on compression methods for holographic data are also discussed